A legacy marked by generosity

John Crean may not be around to host any more charitable parties at his home, but his legacy of generosity will remain throughout Newport-Mesa and Orange County in the form of the buildings and communities named in his honor.

Despite those very public tributes, his loved ones described him as a humble, “real” person, who gave for the love of the cause.

What many people remember about Crean was the welcome mat he put out for the community, charitable organizations, neighbors and friends.

“Their home basically was a representation of their philosophy to always reach out and bring people in and be a catalyst for supporting community organizations,” former Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian Chief Executive Michael Stephens said. “Every time I went there I was struck by what that represented and how much that spoke to who they were and what they hoped to achieve.”

Some of his many donations, which represent millions of dollars doled out to community organizations, may have made the news more recently, but his giving began more than a half a century ago.

In 1954, he began giving 10% of his then-new company’s earnings to an Anaheim Lutheran church.

And that was the beginning of something big. From there, he and his wife Donna Crean gave all over the county, including the donation of his 93-acre ranch to Crystal Cathedral in 1981.

Crean didn’t know Pastor Robert H. Schuller when Schuller requested a donation for what would become the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, said Michael Nason, a spokesman for Schuller.

But Crean agreed to give $1 million to the effort, the first major donation. As Schuller tried to raise more money, construction costs mounted, and he worried he wouldn’t have enough.

In a moment Nason said he’ll always remember, Schuller told Crean he’d have to give back the donation because he couldn’t afford the building, but Crean wouldn’t have it. “He turned and said, ‘Schuller, dig a hole. The money will come.’ ”

Crean made a major contribution to Schuller’s ministry although the Crystal Cathedral wasn’t his home church, Nason said. He also gave money for a bell tower, known as the Crean tower, next to the cathedral.

Aside from his contributions to religious organizations, Crean had a passion for programs aimed at children.

He made it possible for the building and growth of organizations like the YMCA Community Services Branch and the Donna and John Crean Mariners Branch Library.

Just about every year for the last 30, John and Donna Crean have donated $50,000 to the YMCA Community Services Branch, which focuses on helping foster children and adults and children with developmental disabilities.

“Seriously, without their support, we would not be here today. I can honestly say that,” said YMCA Community Services Branch executive director Kristen Thompson.

Crean gave more than he was asked in many instances. When the Mariners Library needed to quickly come up with $1 million to apply for a state grant allocated for public libraries, those attempting to raise the money contacted Crean through former Assemblywoman Marian Bergeson.

“He actually offered more than what we had requested,” Bergeson said. “He was more than generous.”

Newport Beach City Councilman Don Webb said that without Crean’s $500,000 donation, he doubted organizers would have been able to raise the $1 million in time for the grant application.

“He made it possible to have a new library at all, and that’s what made a difference — or it will over time make a difference in the lives of thousands of children,” library director Linda Katsouleas said.

The Creans often supported Hoag Hospital, Stephens said. But it struck Stephens that the couple did not want a lot of hoopla about their gifts.

“They were giving of themselves … because of true, genuine interest,” Stephens said.

He also gave $1 million to the Balboa Performing Arts Theater Foundation in 1999. The money helped keep the theater in the same location and helped launch the project, allowing for seismic retrofitting, architectural drawings that had to be made and “money that was needed to just get the project rolling,” executive director Mary Lonich said.

But he didn’t just leave his mark in Newport-Mesa. In Santa Ana, he gave $2 million to the Discovery Science Center and, along with his wife, was the first to tear down a wall in the former furniture building during a party they hosted called “Bash to the Future.”

“John and Donna sat on a front loader and knocked down the front doors and knocked down the walls,” Pam Shambra said, adding that the Creans’ donation finished the $24-million campaign.

He was steadfast in his political beliefs, as shown by his continued support for the Orange County Republican Party.

“John Crean was bigger than life and a person of monumental impact on this community and certainly on my life,” said Tom Fuentes, longtime chairman of the Orange County GOP.

“Uniquely, with John Crean, I can say that he was the largest donor to the [Orange County] Republican Party during my 20-year tenure as chairman of the party, and yet never — and I mean that — never, ever asked for anything in return but the hope for good government,” Fuentes said. “He gave because he believed in values and principles and would never ask for any recognition or legislation or special access.”

And although he did not give to every organization that may have asked, for causes and charities he felt were worthy, Crean seemed to spare no expense, Bergeson said.